The President, Major General Muhmmadu Buhari (retd.), on Tuesday, held a closed-door meeting with the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (retd.), and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin.
The meeting was held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting’s agenda was not made public.
As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency has yet to issue a statement on the meeting.
The meeting was however held at a time there are protests in parts of the country against the scrapped Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force.
The protests have turned violent in Abuja and some states leading to the declaration of curfew in Edo and Lagos States.
Although there was no official information confirming the agenda of the meeting, as at the time of filing this report, sources within the Statement House, suggested it was all in the bid to tame the escalating violence trailing the #EndSARS protests.
Some youths on Tuesday continued their #EndSARS protests at Alausa and Lekki toll gate in Lagos State despite the curfew imposed on the state.
Apart from the curfew imposed by the Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State Police Command also banned protests in the state.
A few hours after the curfew took effect, the youths continued to agitate for their demands peacefully.
Though policemen and soldiers were deployed in the venue of the protest at Alausa, they did not use force on the protesters.
Some of the protesters guarded the vehicles of the policemen to prevent them from being attacked by hoodlums.
When the military personnel got to the venue of the protest, the youths formed a ‘guard of honour’ to welcome them and later rode on their vehicle as a form of solidarity.
Also, the protesters failed to vacate the Lekki toll gate.
Instead, they sat on the floor as a symbol that they were not ready to vacate the venue of the protest.
Earlier, the Lagos State Police Command had banned protests in the state.
This was contained in a press statement by the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, on Tuesday.
The police ban came a few hours after the Lagos State Government imposed a 24-hour curfew on the state, starting from 4 pm.
Before the declaration of the curfew, at least two police stations were burnt in Lagos State by hoodlums.
The statement read in part, “Due to the new development of violent attacks on police officers and men and formations including innocent Nigerians in Lagos State, and the 24-hour curfew imposed by the Lagos State Government with effect from 4 pm today October 20; the Lagos State Police Command wishes to inform the public that henceforth no protest or gathering or possession, under whatever guise, is permitted within Lagos State.
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“In light of the above, all security agencies have deployed adequate personnel to take charge and enforce the curfew across the state.
“The command regrets to confirm the setting ablaze of Orile Police State today at about 10am, where some of our policemen were critically injured and unconfirmed reports state that one of them is dead.”
The PPRO regretted that the #ENDSARS protests have been hijacked by hoodlums.
“It’s crystal clear that the #ENDSARS protest has been hijacked by hoodlums who want to run down the state and the police command will resist such a state of anarchy, unrest, and brouhaha with all powers within the ambit of the law.
“While the command is resolute in the sustenance of human rights and democratic tenets, the public is hereby warned to comply with the curfew and desist from any act of violence in the state as the command will resist such in totality,” he added.
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